


Finite Disappointments, Infinite Hope

by forgetmenotjimmy



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Andy is Awesome, Bullying, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Moody Kelly, Self-Esteem Issues, Swearing, Teenagers, sad!Matt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 10:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21492637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgetmenotjimmy/pseuds/forgetmenotjimmy
Summary: Andy looked between them, bouncing on his toes.“Matt, Kelly. Kelly, Matt. Me and Kelly are gonna be fire fighters one day, hey!” He interrupted himself, hitting Matt lightly on the shoulder. “You should come join the Academy with us!” Kelly didn’t bother keeping his scepticism off his face – though Matt seemed to agree with him.Both Matt and Kelly are wary of empty promises and disappointments so it's a bumpy start to the friendship, but once forged, it's unbreakable.
Relationships: Matthew Casey & Andrew "Andy" Darden & Kelly Severide, Wallace Boden & Matthew Casey
Comments: 22
Kudos: 42





	1. He Can Tag Along I Guess

**Author's Note:**

> “I think the difference is that the kids who bounce back learn to bear a little bit more than they thought they could, and they soon understand that the secret to surviving foster care is to accept finite disappointments while never losing infinite hope.” ― John William Tuohy, No Time to Say Goodbye: A Memoir of a Life in Foster Care

Kelly wouldn’t say that he and Andy owned Boden’s house – that was obviously the big guy himself – but they had been there the longest. Ever since Capp and Tony had aged out, they were the official big kids, the ones who taught the others how things worked.

Boden was one of the good ones, an adult who genuinely cared about the kids in his care; who wasn’t just housing them for a government check or using them as cheap labour. He was a retired Battalion Chief of the CFD and he could still bring out the ‘Chief Voice’ as Tony had dubbed it, if need be. Generally, he spoke softly to the scared kids and sternly to the naughty ones, imbuing all of them with a sense of purpose and responsibility. No matter your sob story, you pitched in and formed part of a unit with your foster brothers.

As a 12-year-old kid worried to death that his mom would never come back from rehab to collect him, Kelly had lapped it up, clinging on for dear life. Andy had lost both parents in an accident soon before, and the pair banded together, becoming as thick as thieves.

Kelly did go back to live with his mom, though she still struggled with her depression and twice more Kelly had returned to Boden’s for short stretches as she’d recovered. Andy always welcomed him back unapologetically happy each time and Kelly tried not to get angry, tried to remember that Andy didn’t have anyone else to miss.

So whilst Kelly wasn’t exactly happy to be returning once again to Boden’s, he did know it wouldn’t be too bad. The house looked the same as it ever did, standing proud against the clear, summer sky; though Kelly noticed the fence was freshly painted and the garden neatly maintained. Either Boden had decided the kids had needed a group bonding project or he’d landed himself an eager beaver. Boden greeted him and his social worker at the door, pulling the reluctant teen into a hug. Kelly had grown a lot in the three years since he’d first come to Boden and although he pretended to be unbothered, he couldn’t help but feel comforted by the hug.

“Kelly, I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances, but it’s good to see you again.” Kelly grunted and kind of half-shrugged but Boden just smiled at him. “I think Andy’s out back. You’ve got the bunk near the door in the Green Room.” Kelly nodded and raced up the stairs to dump his stuff. On his way out to the back yard, he saw two kids he’d never seen before playing some kind of card game at the dining room table. With the confidence from living there before, and knowledge that one day he’d leave again, Kelly warned them not to mess with his stuff. From their cautious reaction, he was satisfied that they wouldn’t.

Working to contain his eager anticipation, Kelly slowed down and just took stock of the scene. Andy was playing catch with another, younger boy, laughing about something. Andy had grown since the last time Kelly had seen him, his blond hair seemingly brighter and his body a little broader. He’d always been a sunny character – despite his hardships – but he was particularly cheery just then. His friend turned and saw him, letting out a big whoop and running up.

“How’s it hanging, stranger?” He asked as he threw his arms around Kelly. “Things haven’t been the same around here without your ugly mug.” Kelly thumped Andy’s back a few times before stepping away and semi-joking.

“Oh, I’ve missed you too.” Andy simply grinned before starting.

“Oh hey, come and meet Matt!” Kelly was instantly wary of the eagerness in Andy’s voice and trudged behind to where the other kid was hovering. Andy looked between them, bouncing on his toes. “Matt, Kelly. Kelly, Matt. Me and Kelly are gonna be fire fighters one day, hey!” He interrupted himself, hitting Matt lightly on the shoulder. “You should come join the Academy with us!” Kelly didn’t bother keeping his scepticism off his face – though Matt seemed to agree with him.

“Oh, I don’t know, Andy.” He glanced between the other boys, who were almost a foot taller than him. “You gotta be big.” Andy scoffed.

“Oh, you still got time to grow and even if you don’t, they still need little guys to squeeze into tight spaces.” He turned to Kelly. “Didn’t your dad tell you about that buddy of his? The one who could get hose-lines through any gap in rubble?” Kelly grunted in the affirmative, eyes busy sizing up this kid Andy was so eager to include in their future plans. He was older than Kelly had first assumed, probably around their age, though shorter and more wiry with closely shorn blond hair that almost sparkled in the sunlight. His eyes were blue and so wide Kelly half-expected him to start pouting or bawling like a baby.

“Hey.” Kelly turned his full attention back to Andy, interrupting something about them being in the same math class. “Let’s go to our hangout.” Boden’s rule was that as long as you went in a group of at least two, and told him where you were going beforehand, kids over a certain age could hang out around the neighbourhood before dinner. He knew most of the gossip mongers and eyes in the area so always found out if you lied about where you were going or what you were planning to do. The pair had discovered a small patch of green with a few abandoned tires behind the grocers’ that they had swiftly claimed. Andy grinned.

“Yeah, sure! I’ll go tell Boden. Hey, Matt, tell Kelly about the dead raccoon we found!” He scampered away, leaving a heavy tension between the other two. Kelly folded his arms and Matt coughed before quietly reciting a very bare bones account of this discovery. Kelly didn’t even comment, instead asking bluntly.

“You here till you age out?”

“Yeah.” Matt replied, voice crackling slightly. Kelly’s lips pressed together briefly before he glanced back at the house.

“Andy’s _my_ friend and while I’m here you better remember that.” Matt swallowed though he kept his chin up. He nodded slightly. Bounding back, Andy called across the yard.

“Come on! We’ve only got 2 hours until dinner!” As they came up, Matt excused himself in order to do some homework. Andy frowned but waited till he and Kelly were walking down the road to question it. “You say anything to him when I was gone?” Kelly shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Andy bit his lip, suddenly wary.

“Kelly, I know we’re best friends but that doesn’t mean we can’t have other friends.”

“I know.” Kelly replied casually. Andy’s eyes narrowed.

“I like Matt. He’s nice.”

“You gonna marry him?” Kelly shot off flippantly.

“And funny.” Andy continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “You’d like him too if you’d give him a chance.” Kelly rolled his eyes.

“When did you get all cheesy? You sound like Boden.”

“I’m serious, Kelly.”

“Why are we still talking about this?” Andy stopped walking and folded his arms.

“Fine!” Kelly heaved a dramatic sigh. “He can tag along I guess.” Andy took another moment to size up his friend before smiling again.

“Race you!”

...

Dinnertime was the time Boden used to surreptitiously evaluate everyone; checking behaviour and relationships between the boys. Only the older ones really clocked onto this and they mostly didn’t bother – or didn’t have the self-control – to modify their behaviour – only ensuring to use basic table manners to not be pierced by Boden’s laser eyes. The dinner table was a large, old-fashioned oak monstrosity able to sit twelve; now only nine sat around it. Aside from Kelly, Andy and Matt there were the two new boys Kelly had seen. They were temps, only due to stay for another month, so Kelly didn’t even try to remember their names. The last three were long stays between 3-6 months, two seventh graders and then Griffin, a year younger than Kelly. He was the same height as Matt and had a constant sneer on his face. It didn’t take Kelly longer than five minutes of watching Griffin shooting Matt dirty looks when Boden wasn’t looking to see there was some kind of story there. He made a mental note to ask Andy about it before remembering that he didn’t care.

After dinner they had a few hours before lights out. In an effort to make good on his promise to Andy, Kelly let Matt pick the video game. His mood definitely improved when he discovered that he was still the best player: Andy was too impulsive, using up all his ammo shooting wildly, and Matt didn’t seem to be that familiar with the basic controls; he kept on running into walls and getting stuck. Andy stuck out his tongue out when Kelly crowed at his fifth consecutive win and Matt said shyly.

“You’re really good.” Kelly’s shoulders relaxed. He took in Matt’s military posture and awkward hold on his controller, then offered.

“I can teach you, if you like.” Matt’s eyes widened and he sat up even straighter.

“Yeah?”

“Hey! It’s our turn!” Griffin protested, stomping up out of nowhere and grabbing Matt’s controller from his hands.

“Hey!” Kelly barked before Matt could react. He could feel Griffin’s friends sliding into the room but didn’t let himself get distracted. “Don’t be a dick. You want to play, you ask nicely.” Looking down his nose at Matt, lips twisting, Griffin taunted.

“He doesn’t even know how to play properly – it’s wasted on him.” Skin crawling, Kelly opened his mouth but Andy beat him to it.

“No sweat, Griffin. We were finished anyway.” Kelly shot him an angry look but reluctantly surrendered his controller after Andy quickly shoved his at goon #1. As they got out into the corridor, he started to complain at Andy but his friend shook his head sharply and announced he wanted to show them his new comic. He put a hand on Matt’s shoulder and Kelly noticed that Matt hadn’t said a word during the whole confrontation. Taking a closer look, he thought the reason had been because Matt’s jaw was almost welded shut. At Andy’s touch, he looked up and nodded stiffly but tension was still radiating out from every pore.

Okay, so maybe Kelly did care enough to ask Andy about his new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this fic back when I was writing 'Matt Casey: Superdad', just haven't gotten around to writing it until now.  
Unless I missed it, it isn’t made explicit exactly how Kelly’s mom was unable to care for him when he was a teenager (at least the summer he stayed with at April’s house); I assumed it was some kind of emotional breakdown, maybe some drug abuse? I leave it ambiguous here too, just know that she goes to rehab and recovers but is prone to relapses. I did some research into Illinois Child Protection Services but also used my imagination so please forgive any small inaccuracies. If there are any glaring or annoying mistakes, let me know and I’ll rework it.  
Unbeta'd so let me know what you think!  
Thanks for reading!  
:D


	2. We’ll Just Have To Look Out For Him

As Boden’s was further away from his school, Kelly had to get up even earlier than usual to catch his bus. His tutor and Head of Year had been informed of his new living situation and were sympathetic, but he preferred to pretend nothing had changed. Of his friends, only April knew and he even regretted telling her when she’d give him those gentle rubs or soft looks. He wasn’t some battered kid who couldn’t sleep without the lights on but she never seemed to believe his assurances. It might help if he could concentrate in class. The lying in bed staring at the ceiling had made his head heavy and eyes scratchy. He’d not been known as a conscientious student but the more observant teachers noticed this decline.

All in all, it was a miserable first week back since he’d moved to Boden’s. Slumping on his bunk, he flung an arm over his eyes.

“Pssst.” A voice called to him. Irritably, Kelly ignored it. “Hey!” Andy, the asshole, insisted. Kelly’s hand waved lazily, face still hidden. A huff, and then. “We’re in the kitchen if his Highness ever wants to join us.” Sighing heavily, Kelly lurched up, grabbing his books on the way down. Luckily, he and Andy knew each other well enough that Kelly’s mood and grunting in lieu of words was tolerated without offence – and Kelly was so used to Andy’s bounciness it hardly registered. Matt was a pretty much silent observer, only responding shortly to any questions Andy threw his way and occasionally giving Kelly brief, worried looks. Kelly grit his teeth and did his best to ignore him.

One subject down and a small figure appeared at the door. One of the card kids was holding a math book, a hopeful expression on his face. To Kelly’s surprise, Matt smiled a little.

“You need an extra set of eyes?” The kid nodded and Matt accompanied him back to the dining room where the kids who couldn’t be trusted not to raid the cupboards did their schoolwork. Kelly watched them go out of the corner of his eye but Andy still glanced at him knowingly.

“What?” He snapped. Andy just hummed innocently and went back to his homework. Stewing for a little longer, Kelly tried unsuccessfully to focus on the words in his text book. Finally, with a bitten back sigh, he gave in. “So what’s the deal with Griffin and your friend?” Andy finished writing his sentence and put his pen down, looking up with a serious expression.

“It’s not my place to tell.” Kelly just raised an eyebrow but Andy shook his head. “You want me to tell him why _you’re _here?” Kelly winced and swallowed down the protest that he’d been Andy’s friend first. Andy was a lot more generous with his affections and yet just as stubborn when something mattered to him.

“So Griffin has a problem with his reason for being here.” He surmised.

“Griffin’s an asshole in general but yes, essentially.” Still not satisfied but wary of crossing the line between curiosity and caring, Kelly nodded and put his head down again, willing his trig notes to make sense that time. He was distracted again though, by raised voices coming from the dining room. Andy sprang up and Kelly followed after a beat. When they got there, they saw Griffin standing close to Matt, leaning over him a little. The younger boys were watching nervously whilst Griffin’s friends sneered.

“-me alone!” Matt was spitting angrily. His stance was stiff again but there was a fire in his eyes. Kelly’s stomach swooped and then he felt smug as he realized the Griffin was too arrogant or stupid to notice the change.

“It’s a free country, Casey. What are you going to do? Kill me?” Matt’s jaw tightened even more and Kelly saw his fists shaking.

“Don’t-” Matt ground out through his teeth. Griffin mock-cowered.

“Oh no! I’m so scared! Are you going to shoot me, Casey?” He leaned in and whispered something. Whatever it was cut through Matt’s remaining control and his fist buried itself into Griffin’s smarmy face. The room erupted in shouting, the younger boys backing away, Griffin’s friends rushing to where he’d fallen against the wall; Andy and Kelly putting themselves between him and Matt. Andy began talking soothingly to Matt, who was still shaking. Griffin shrieked through a bleeding nose. “You’ll pay for this, Casey!”

“You started it.” Kelly barked back. Griffin tried to sneer but winced in pain, so just shook his head.

“I’m telling Boden!” He and his friends went off and Kelly turned back to see Matt had gone pale.

“It’s okay, Boden will understand.” Andy tried to reassure him. Matt gulped, not looking any less distraught.

“Yeah, Griffin was clearly spoiling for a fight. He just didn’t expect your sweet right hook.” Matt responded to Kelly’s laughing comment, looking a little calmer. Though his expression crumpled when he turned and the kid he’d been helping shrank away from him. One of Griffin’s goons interrupted.

“Boden wants to see you.” Andy squeezed Matt’s shoulder and both he and Kelly accompanied him to Boden’s office. The chief looked very grave and waved off Andy and Kelly’s attempts to defend Matt’s actions. He sent everyone but the two boys in question away. Andy and Kelly returned to the kitchen, though they didn’t do any work. Andy bit his lip and then murmured.

“Swear you’ll never tell.” Kelly promised. Andy sighed and explained sadly. “His mom killed his dad.” Kelly felt very cold and he glanced automatically at the door. “Apparently he wasn’t a nice guy but…”

“Shit.” He managed. Andy nodded sadly. Later, Matt appeared at the door, quiet as a ghost. He still looked pale, eyes slightly red. Andy jumped up. “So?” Matt looked like he’d rather do anything but talk, though he muttered.

“Grounded for a month, no privileges.” Andy started protesting the injustice but Matt just gathered his things wordlessly, head bowed.

“Andy.” Kelly said gently. His friend deflated and let Matt escape upstairs. There was a minute of subdued quiet until Andy let out a frustrated breath.

“This is bullshit! He doesn’t deserve this.” Kelly considered.

“Guess we’ll just have to look out for him then.” Andy smiled a little.

“Yeah.”

Matt sat on his bunk, bag falling from his slack hand and thumping onto the floor. Fists clenched, he practised his breathing like the councillor had shown him. It took a few minutes but thankfully worked, almost without him noticing. He cringed as his mind ran through the past hour: Griffin’s cruel words, losing his fight for control, Jimmy cringing away from him, Boden’s disappointment, Andy and Kelly, angry on his behalf but still on guard. The councillor often told him that nothing that had happened to him was his fault – that he wasn’t his father’s or mother’s son. After all that, he wasn’t sure. He’d lashed out, he’d shown them that Griffin had been right all along: Matt was dangerous. The tears welled up again and this time he let them fall, not strong enough to swallow them down again. Sobbing, he curled onto his side, back to the door; holding his knees and rocking slightly.

“Nothing excuses violence, Matt.” Boden had told him firmly, his brows heavy and voice booming inside Matt’s head. Boden hadn’t mentioned relocating him but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. Jimmy’s flinch played over and over in his mind’s eye. Maybe they’d send him to juvie, maybe he deserved it. He desperately wanted to stay though. The thought of leaving made him cry even harder. Covering his mouth with one hand, the other twisted in his hair, he prayed that he’d be given another chance.


	3. Let's Do It

After the ‘Griffin Incident’, Andy quickly grew worried about Matt. He’d expected his friend to be subdued, to maybe shut down a little in response. When Matt had first moved in, Andy had relished the challenge of getting the blank-faced kid to smile. His usual goofs hadn’t been successful but Andy hadn’t given up nor heeded Boden’s gentle warning not to push too much. In the end, it hadn’t been anything specific, more like a culmination of all the light-heartedness and kindness Andy naturally gave off. Matt started returning his smiles and relaxing around him. Once he’d even hugged Andy out of nowhere; Andy hadn’t stopped grinning for a week. But all of the awfulness of Griffin’s cruelty had clammed Matt right back up again, maybe even worse than before. Even Andy knew that it would take more than normalcy to coax him back out; especially as Griffin was still around. He’d received the same punishment as Matt – Boden didn’t believe his claims of innocence – and had seemed to have understood the message: instigating a fight wouldn’t force Matt out or get Griffin more privileges. Although he no longer sought Matt out, he was still unpleasant when they were forced to interact – usually at dinner; something made worse by Matt’s almost complete lack of reaction. Andy and Kelly tried to retaliate as subtly as they could, skirting on the edge of rudeness so as not to be reprimanded but Matt never seemed to notice their efforts. Andy and Kelly were counting down the days until the piece of trash was due to leave.

Unfortunately, Andy was short on people to ask for help with Matt’s continued self-isolation. Kelly was next to useless when it came to emotions and the other boys were too young or enemies. That left Boden, but he had already punished Matt for the outburst – would he be willing to talk Matt out of whatever funk he was in? Worth a try – Andy decided.

“Chief?” He asked tentatively. Boden looked up from his paperwork.

“Andy.” Boden mustered up a tired smile. “What can I do for you?” Andy sidled into the office, glancing out into the corridor before clearing his throat.

“It’s about Matt.” There was a short pause before Boden nodded. “He’s been quiet, quieter than usual I mean, and I mean we know why obviously but it doesn’t feel-”

“Andy. I get the idea.”

“Oh, sorry Chief.” Boden sighed.

“I’ll check in on him.” Andy nodded thankfully and shuffled out, leaving Boden to sigh heavily. He collected his things and found Matt where he’d expected him to be: the window seat of the library.

In reality the ‘library’ was just what the boys called the top of the stairs which had a window seat and a small bookshelf. The boys’ rooms and second bathroom were on the second floor with only Boden’s attic room on the third. He kept that door locked but there was always one boy who had claimed that ‘library’ spot, to escape from everything for a while. Some of the fosters bonded fiercely, some barely tolerated each other and others occasionally needed somewhere quiet to just be. Boden made sure to maintain a few little hideaways in the house and garden – he knew how important it was for them to feel safe, like a part of the place was just for them.

Matt was standing when Boden reached the top of the stairs. Seeing the boy’s throat convulse minutely, Boden bit back a curse.

“Didn’t mean to disturb you.” He said smilingly. Matt just watched him warily, clearly anticipating a specific reaction. Despite knowing his history, Boden wasn’t exactly sure what that was. Making a split-second decision, he said. “I’m taking Karl and Jimmy to the grocery store but ah, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind tagging along, help me wrangle ‘em.” Brows knitting together, Matt took a long moment to respond.

“Yes, of course, sir. I’ll come if you want.”

In Boden’s house everyone did chores and the older ones were sent on errands to buy milk, eggs and other groceries. Karl and Jimmy weren’t old enough to go out alone and Boden would usually have spent the time observing and giving them advice as they went through the shopping list; helping them keep a running tally, teaching them to discern between brands, different deals and multipacks. He could multitask though and Matt and Jimmy had seemed to have struck up a friendship – it could help bring Matt out from under his dark cloud. The efficacy of this plan was uncertain, especially as Matt had apparently regressed to calling him ‘sir’. Boden held back a sigh and just nodded.

“Good, we leave in 10.” Matt set his jaw and nodded back before slipping down the stairs.

Boden walked the boys to the grocers, between them they’d be able to carry everything back. He kept a close eye on the boys even as he listened to Karl nattering away about some fishing trip his dad was planning on when he was out of hospital. Both Jimmy and Matt were quiet, though Jimmy did engage a little with Karl. Boden kept his body loose as they collected a cart.

“Matt, you and Jimmy go and get some cookies. The nice ones.” Neither boy showed much enthusiasm for this arrangement, in fact, Jimmy paled a little. Still, off they went. Once Karl had successfully chosen and added up some items, they walked over to the snacks aisle. Matt and Jimmy were standing as far apart as possible whilst still looking at the same selection: Jimmy was holding a packet to his chest, not looking directly at Matt, whose jaw was tight, brow furrowed. On seeing Boden, Jimmy cantered over.

“Here you are, Mr. Boden!” He squeaked, before turning to listen to Karl’s babble. Matt approached them slowly, head tilted down. Throughout checkout and walking back to the house, he noticed several furtive looks and whispers from the younger boys and the ever deepening crease in Matt’s forehead. When they got to the front gate, the two friends went on ahead and Matt took the opportunity to blurt.

“Please don’t send me away.” Boden blinked; Matt swallowed. “Sir. Please.”

“Matt, I’m not sending you anywhere.” Blue eyes shining, Matt stared up at him a long moment before his head tucked back down again and he sniffed. Putting down his bags, Boden pulled him into a bear hug. The poor boy remained stiff, trembling slightly.

“I’ll be good, I swear.”

“I know. I’m not worried about that.” Matt relaxed a little before clearing his throat, squirming a little, trying to wipe his face. Boden let him go and handed him a tissue. “You’ll always have a place here, as long as you need it.” Breathing still shaky, Matt managed a tiny twitch of the lips.

“Thank you, sir.” Boden grinned and lead them inside.

…

After all that, Matt still took more time to warm up to Kelly. He did respond to Kelly’s increased friendliness and managed to relax more around him, but it was clear he didn’t trust him the way he did Andy. Kelly tried not to take it personally.

“I’m just more lovable.” Andy would joke even as he mussed Kelly’s hair or did something equally annoying. He’d been walking on sunshine ever since Matt had emerged from his ‘self-imposed exile from happiness’ as the incurable optimist had put it. Well, what did Kelly care if this scared kid didn’t open up to him? He was just helping Andy out. They didn’t even spend any time alone together so it didn’t matter.

Or at least until Heather-gate.

“This is a disaster!” Kelly declared, hand running through his hair, elbow an inch away from hitting the top cupboards as he paced up and down the kitchen. Matt watched him, brow creased.

“What is?” He asked tentatively when it seemed like Kelly wasn’t going to explain. Kelly’s eyes widened even more as he came to a stop.

“The girl! The girl who’s bewitched Andy!”

“Bewitched?” Matt repeated, something glittering in his eyes.

“This isn’t like him.” Kelly stated, resuming his pacing. “He’s never blown me off before to go on a ‘study date’.” When he glanced at Matt again, his brain clicked. “Are you laughing at me?” Matt’s features arranged themselves into a perfect picture of innocence…too perfect. Kelly’s eyes narrowed and Matt shifted ever so slightly in his seat. Huffing a sigh, Kelly collapsed into a chair and dropped his head into his hands. A barely-there pat on his shoulder brought his eyes up again. Matt was in his personal space, voluntarily. Despite himself, Kelly felt a little flutter of happiness inside. “We were going to go to the old arcade.” He complained, well aware that his voice had started whining.

“Maybe we could go instead?” Matt suggested barely audibly. Kelly looked at him for a moment before his lips stretched up.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Matt’s answering smile was like the sun. Kelly found himself saying. “I think you’d make a great firefighter. You know, if you want to join with us.” Matt cleared his throat.

“You think so?” Kelly nodded.

“I know so.”

From that moment, neither of them ever looked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for now. I will return to this someday but I don't have any firm plans so feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions or things you'd want to see.   
Thanks for reading!  
:D


End file.
